Various types of tests related to patient diagnosis and therapy can be performed by analysis assays of a sample of a patient's infections, bodily fluids or abscesses. Such patient samples are typically placed in sample vials, extracted from the vials, combined with various reagents in special reaction cuvettes or tubes, frequently incubated, and analyzed to aid in treatment of the patient. In typical clinical chemical analyses, one or two assay reagents are added at separate times to a liquid sample, the sample-reagent combination is mixed and incubated within a reaction cuvettes. Analytical measurements using a beam of interrogating radiation interacting with the sample-reagent combination, for example turbidimetric or fluorometric or absorption readings or the like, are made to ascertain end-point or rate values from which an amount of analyte may be determined using well-known calibration techniques.
Although various known clinical analyzers for chemical, immunochemical and biological testing of samples are available, analytical clinical technology is challenged by increasing needs for improved levels of analysis. Due to increasing pressures on clinical laboratories to reduce cost-per-reportable result, there continues to be a need for improvements in the overall cost performance of automated clinical analyzers. In particular, sample analysis continuously needs to be more effective in terms of increasing assay throughput or reducing the cost thereof.
A positive contributor to increasing assay throughput is the ability to provide a continuous supply of the reagents required to perform a wide range of clinical assays, including immunoassays.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,521 discloses a sample analysis system having a plurality of analysis units placed along a main conveyor line prior to operation. The system setup of analysis units in combination with different types of reagent supply units, and setup of analysis items for each analysis unit as to which analysis item should be assigned to which analysis unit having which reagent supply type.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,193 discloses an automatic immunoassay apparatus which has means for dispensing a labeled reagent into a reaction tube as well as means for dispensing an assaying reagent into the reaction tube
U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,691 discloses an automatic chemistry analyzer in which a reagent probe arm assembly includes a reagent probe arm, a hollow reagent probe and a rotatable reagent stirring rod. The reagent probe is disposed generally vertically in the reagent probe arm and is movable by a reagent probe motor between a lower reagent probe position and an upper reagent probe position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,549 discloses a multi-analyzer system in which analyzer units have sampling lines used as transferring routes to/from a transfer line, means for measuring reaction processes defined by specified sample and reagent in a reaction vessel and plural reagent delivery mechanisms, some are based on a pipette method, and the others based on a dispenser method.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,529 discloses an immunoassay analyzer having a rotatable reagent carousel which accommodates a plurality of wedge-shaped reagent packs each capable of holding a plurality of different reagents in separate compartments formed in each pack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,247 discloses an immunoassay analyzer having two turntables supporting assay reagents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,277 discloses an immunoassay analyzer having a turntable which removably supports a plurality of sample containers and a plurality of larger reagent containers in a circular array.